Hollow Games
by Renchikara
Summary: AU. In a world where the Sereitei rules over the nation of Karakura, the Annual Hollow Games is played each year by twenty-four unlucky tributes. When Hollow Ichigo and Dark Rukia are selected for the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hollow Games, they are aware that there is no chance of both of them returning home. HichiDruki.
1. Chapter 1

**I know a lot of people have done Bleach Hunger Games fan fictions before, but I've never found one where they've used Hollow Ichigo and Dark Rukia as the main characters, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I haven't given them proper names, so in this they're just called Hollow and Dark.**

**In this, Soul Reapers protect the living only.**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

**One**

Her eyes flutter open in an instant, her breath coming out in a gasp of realisation. Beside her, her twin sister continues to sleep, unaware of what waking up will possibly bring them. The sun isn't up yet, and so it is still dark outside. Perfect. Still time to get things done before the reaping this afternoon. Even now, though, they'll probably be officials from the Sereitei, here to keep the peace in case a riot breaks out, as if that would ever happen.

Dark sighs, not wanting to disturb Rukia from the nice dream she might be happening. It's kind of hard to contemplate the possibility of anyone having nice dreams on the night before the Reaping, but as Rukia's life is not in any danger, she should not need to worry about herself.

It is Dark that both of them need to worry about.

'Rukia. Rukia, you need to wake up.'

'Hm? Why are you... oh...' Realisation hits Rukia and after a few moments of silence she offers a weary smile. 'Well, what are we waiting for? C'mon, before the officials start showing up.'

'They've been here for the past few days, setting things up, remember?' Dark says, sounding slightly exasperated

'I know, but maybe they're still in bed. Fingers crossed.'

The two girls get dressed in silence. Rukia decides to get dressed into her shihakushô, the one she and all the other Soul Reapers wear. When Dark raises her eyebrows, Rukia looks back defiantly and states that the chances are she won't be spotted like this.

Dark herself gets dressed into a tattered white kimono of hers that is extremely precious to her because it belonged to their older sister, Hisana. The cloth around her waist is yellow, not white, and travelling up from the front to behind her head is a red piece of cloth which forms a long-collared cape behind her lilac hair.

'You ready?' Rukia asks, watching her with concern.

'Yeah. I'm fine.'

'What is going on?' comes a man's voice from outside their bedroom door. Both girls flinch and then Rukia replies,'We're just going out for some hunting, brother. Dark hasn't had a soul in a couple of days.'

'Yeah, and I'm really starting to get hungry,' Dark adds under her breath.

'Very well,' Byakuya's voice says. 'Make sure no one sees you.'

'Yes, brother,' the two girls reply.

It's not hard to find a soul.

The fact is that only those with spirit energy can see the dead as spirits, so as Rukia is a Soul Reaper and Dark is a Hollow neither of them have any trouble finding one. This particular spirit is a young man. The two girls know the type: angry, arrogant, probably one of the rich snooty ones living in one of the wealthier parts of District Twelve, looking down on everyone else, ignorant or uncaring of all the poverty. He's the sort of spirit who won't accept his premature death, and so is therefore screaming abuse at anybody who can actually hear him.

There's no need to feel remorse for disposing him, as far as Dark is concerned.

'A Soul Reaper?' the young man says, gazing at Rukia for a second before spitting out, 'Well, you're too late! I'm already dead, aren't I? You failed at your stupid job!'

'Our job is to protect humans from being devoured by Hollows,' Rukia says coldly. 'I don't need to worry about spirits of the dead.'

'So just 'cause a Hollow didn't get me, I'm irrelevant?! Is that right?!' the man screams. 'It's my wife who killed me!'

'I'm not surprised,' Dark mutters, and her twin nudges her.

'H-hang on... that one there is a Hollow!' the man cries out, pointing dramatically at Dark. 'You- you're gonna eat my soul, aren't you?!'

'Yes, and I'm certainly going to have no regrets,' Dark says in a bored voice.

The man shrieks and tries to run away but Dark, being an expert at this, easily uses sonido to appear in front of him. She pulls her large dark red, double-edged scythe from behind her back and a matter of a few seconds later, the man falls to the ground, and Dark bends down to finish her meal. During this, Rukia has been watching around to make sure that nobody has seen this happen, because everyone knows that Hollows aren't generally welcome in some parts. The discrimination is logical in the eyes of most; after all, Hollows devour souls of the living and the dead. It is a Soul Reaper's job to stop Hollows from killing humans, but if a Hollow decides to go after a dead soul, then there is no reason for them to be stopped. As Dark, a Hollow, is Rukia's sister, and Rukia is a Soul Reaper, it's simple enough for them if Dark only devours the souls of the dead and she leaves the living alone.

Rukia and Dark are quite unique- there are hardly any other families that have a Soul Reaper and a Hollow for siblings. What's more, Rukia and Dark are twins. They're not completely alone, however; Rukia has a friend who she met in the woods called Ichigo Kurosaki, and she is aware that he also has a twin who's a Hollow, although she has never met him.

XxXxX

The dying screams of the human slowly fade away after a while, and Hollow allows himself to feel elation. He was so damn hungry this morning and Ichigo was doing bugger all about it so he thought it would probably be best if he went on a hunt without supervision.

He's extremely glad he did now.

This particular victim tried to put up a fight, and Hollow likes that. He particularly enjoys it when they scream for help, and if help actually comes, he just disposes of them as well. Unless they're Soul Reapers.

When they're Soul Reapers, he has to run.

But luckily, his meal has been uninterrupted so far, and he has almost finished, and he is loving it. Or something like that. Not quite love, 'cause Hollows can't feel love as they have no hearts.

'Hollow!' comes a strangled cry from behind him. He turns to see a Soul Reaper standing there, which isn't good. His limbs act instinctively before his brain does, and so the next thing he knows, he is using sonido to get off that small street where he attacked his victim and is escaping as fast as he damn well can.

At one point, he lands on a roof top and then decides that he can probably kill this Soul Reaper. The ones that usually chase him are weak, and they never last. He turns around and pulls his large sword from behind his back to face...

Ichigo.

Oh.

Perhaps, when he panicked, he didn't quite recognise the spiritual pressure of the one chasing him.

Or the vibrant orange hair.

Oh well.

'What the hell do you think you've done?!' Ichigo yells at him. 'I told you, you have to only take dead souls! That poor guy was still alive!'

'Ah, but you're not gonna do anything about it, are you?' Hollow replies silkily.

'I'm a Soul Reaper. I_ should_ do something about it,' Ichigo growls.

Hollow grins. 'But I'm your brother! You won't turn me in or kill me, will you?'

'Dammit... don't you dare do it again.'

'Completely understood.'

The twins leap of the roof top and onto the street below, making their way back home slowly. The sun is still not up and even when it will appear, they know it's not going to be a particularly bright day; there is a thick mist, adding to the general gloom that today would usually bring.

'Why did you do it?' Ichigo asks after a long silence.

Hollow sighs. 'I don't know. When I get really hungry... I lose control. I'm like a damn vampire or something.'

'Except you don't go for the blood, you take the soul.'

'Yeah. That being the only difference.'

'I... I'm kind of scared when you get like that,' Ichigo admits after a pause. 'You grow all sadistic and... you laugh sometimes.'

'Evil enough laughter for you?'

'Definitely. It creeps me out. Sometimes I think you're gonna turn on our family or something.'

'Hehe...'

'What's so funny?' Ichigo asks irritably.

'You, scared of me? Even little Yuzu doesn't fear me, and Karin would never let something like that scare her. Why would I turn on my own family, Ichigo?'

Ichigo says nothing.

'So, on a much darker note, how d'you think I'm gonna fare in the Reaping today?' Hollow says, trying to sound cheerful which seems kind of ridiculous considering the topic.

'Depends,' Ichigo answers. 'How many times did you put your name in?'

'Uh... well, if you can actually call 'Hollow' a name... about twenty-seven times, give or take.'

Ichigo winces. 'That's not good.'

'It's no problem; I know a kid, a couple of years older than us, who's put his name in about forty-eight times.'

'Holy crap. He's gonna get picked.'

'Yeah, probably. But he's got a human family with something like twelve mouths to feed.'

Ichigo swallows. 'Look... I know I say this every year, but-'

''Please, if you get picked, try to win. For Dad and Karin and Yuzu. For me. You're strong. You can do this. You can get out of there alive',' Hollow says, doing a very good imitation of his brother. Ichigo stares at him, so he continues, 'Yeah. I know it off by heart know. Or off by where my heart should be.'

Ichigo smiles sadly. It's amazing how many 'heart' jokes his twin can crack.

''Welcome, everyone, to the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hollow games',' Hollow says, doing a very good impression of their host.

''And may the odds be ever in your favour',' Ichigo finishes, smiling.

The two boys arrive back home. If you can call their shack a home. Only three rooms in total, one as a bedroom for the first set of twins, one for the second set of twins, and one serving as a lounge, kitchen and their father Isshin's room. Oh, a a small room (really more of a cupboard) as the toilet. Isshin, Karin and Yuzu are awake by now, and they all look up warily when the two boys enter, just in case their visitors are Peacekeepers. After all, it wouldn't be the first time Peacekeepers stormed in. Also wouldn't be the first time Peacekeepers came in on the day of the Reaping.

Hollow gets into trouble quite a lot.

Yuzu has been crying, because her eyes are red and shining. Karin has a frown on her face, which isn't completely abnormal, but there is a deep worry in her eyes. Even Isshin, who is usually so hyperactive, remains silent and doesn't leap up enthusiastically to greet his sons.

'Did you find a soul?' Karin asks her brothers.

'Yeah,' Hollow mutters, not bothering to mention that this one wasn't even dead yet.

'Now, sit down, boys,' Isshin says, patting the large empty space on the sofa beside him. The twins oblige, waiting for the lecture they know they're going to receive.

'I know that last time you both got a little carried away,' Isshin says slowly and Hollow bows his head, remembering how a friend of theirs was picked last year. He and Ichigo made quite a scene, him from the pen he was kept in and Ichigo from the audience. Ever since then, the Sereitei officials have kept a close eye on the twins, especially when that particular friend was killed on the third day of the Games.

'We'll behave unless we have reason not to,' Ichigo gives as an answer to Isshin's 'please don't cause any trouble' plea.

At that moment, they all hear it: the roar of a Hollow, or at least, the unintelligent cry of an animal-like Hollow that you can sometimes find in the woods or occasionally in the streets feeding on some unfortunate soul. It is a recording, the same one they use every year, as a siren saying that everyone must make their way to the square for the Reaping.

Just like last year, and the seventy-two years before that, too.

It's never going to change, not while the Sereitei is in charge.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

It's so disrespectful that they use the call of an animal-like Hollow as their siren. Dark feels sick every year when she hears that unintelligent roar that reminds her the the ones shaped like humans such as herself aren't the only Hollows out there. To think that you're technically part of the same species as the ugly monsters! Yuck!

Rukia takes a deep breath. 'Come on... we'll only get into trouble if we're late.'

'I still don't see why humans and Soul Reapers have to attend,' Dark grumbles. 'It's not like they have to worry about getting chosen.'

'What if you were picked, and Byakuya and I weren't there to say goodbye to you?' Rukia asks quietly.

'I wouldn't care if Byakuya wasn't there. If he was there he'd put me under more pressure to win because if I died in the arena I'd 'bring disgrace to the Kuchiki name' or something-'

'You know that's not true!' Rukia says. 'Byakuya would want you to win because he'd want you to come back to us alive!'

'Yeah, so he can claim about how 'honourable' the Kuchiki clan is to anyone who actually gives a damn.'

'What if I wasn't there, then?' Rukia demands angrily.

'Well, you'd just get upset and then I'd leave District Twelve feeling even more wretched than I would do if you weren't there to say goodbye.'

'Thanks a lot.'

'No problem.'

'Rukia! Dark!'

'Hey, Renji,' Rukia says gloomily as their red headed friend approaches them, a grim look in his eyes but an optimistic expression.

'You don't need to look so worried, you two,' Renji says, trying to sound cheerful.

'And why's that?' Dark says irritably.

'Well, the Kuchiki clan is quite a wealthy family; you don't need to enter more times to feed your family, therefore you've only had to put your name in once so the chances of you getting picked are really slim.'

'True, but there's always the possibly of it being me,' Dark says moodily.

'Look on the bright side: it probably won't be you,' Renji says.

XxXxX

'Good luck, big brother!' Yuzu calls, trying and failing miserably to keep a smile on her face as Hollow is ushered away from his family by Peacekeepers. Karin nods at him, her expression calm but her eyes panicked. Isshin gives him a reassuring look which comes out looking more like a grimace. Ichigo mouths, _Be careful._

_ Thanks, Ichigo. Really helpful. Fat lot of good that'll do me if I get picked._

He's taken off towards the line where various different Hollows, all ranging in ages from twelve to eighteen, are standing, waiting to have a little prick on their finger so the officials can have their blood samples. In front of him is a nervous sandy-haired youngster who he recognises from the face but who he doesn't know the name of. It is obviously the boy's first Reaping and he's shaking in fear.

Hollow remembers this kid because a couple of years ago Karin got into a fight where she was hopelessly outnumbered and this kid helped her and stopped the others from beating her up. She was quite badly hurt and he carried her all the way back to the Kurosaki home. Hollow remembers opening the door, and the boy handing Karin over to him, briefly explaining what had happened, and then leaving right after he'd been thanked. Hollow doesn't even know this kid's name, but he is quite grateful.

'Finger,' the official at the desk says, implying that the boy is supposed to hold out his hand for the injection. Shaking in fear, the boy does as he's told, and gives a little gasp when the needle touches his skin, tears forming in his eyes. Hollow rolls his own eyes in spite of himself. When it's his turn, he barely feels the needle, having had much worse injuries than a stupid prick on the finger.

'Hey, Hollow?' Sora Inoue calls from beside the official. 'Could you show him where to go? It's his first time.' He motions towards the sandy-haired boy.

'Fine,' Hollow says with a sigh. Sora Inoue is far too old for the Hollow Games, and so when he turned nineteen he got a job at helping other Hollows on the day of the Reaping. Hollow knows his younger sister, a human named Orihime. She runs a small market when she's not at school, serving bizarre mixtures of food to anyone who is actually willing to buy anything. Hollow is also aware that Orihime has quite a large crush on his brother, Ichigo.

'The twelve-year-olds go here,' Hollow says quietly, motioning towards the pen at the very front of the square, containing a large group of frightened-looking young Hollows.

'Thank you,' the boy squeaks.

Hollow rolls his eyes once more, and as he turns away to walk to the middle of the square where the fifteen year olds are being kept, he notices that there are far more Peacekeepers than usual. Are they suspecting to happen? Or...

XxXxX

'Listen up, everyone!' one of the Peacekeepers, evidently an officer, shouts, walking onto the stage. The whole square goes silent, wondering what they want to tell them about.

'This morning, there was a Hollow attack on an alive citizen and the culprit has not been caught yet, but you should all know that the death penalty awaits the one responsible.

Dark begins to feel nervous, even though she definitely knows that she is obviously not the one responsible. Somewhere in the crowd, one Hollow must be feeling terrified, knowing it can only be a matter of time before they're caught. Scary...

'And now, to get on with the Reaping!' comes Rangiku Matsumoto cheerful voice as she comes onto the stage. She makes her way towards the microphone in the centre, right next to two huge balls on stands with the names of all the Hollows in the Reaping.

'But before we begin, we must start with the video, brought to you all the way from the Sereitei!'

_Yeah. The same crap they bring us every year._ Dark sighs.

The movie starts blaring on the huge screens on each of the buildings surrounding the square so both the Hollows in the Reaping and the public (who are forced to attend the event) can all see.

_'During the Dark Days, our nation of Karakura was in chaos and evil. Nothing could stop Hollows and their insatiable hunger. It seemed as if the human race was doomed, and these evil creatures would rule the earth. Then, the Sereitei was founded and the Soul Reapers began their job of protecting the human race from the Hollows. Through years of planning, there was finally a war which the Sereitei luckily won. And now, we have a bright future where people can live in peace. As a punishment for being heartless monsters, all Hollows throughout the twelve districts between the ages of twelve and sixteen must send a male and female tribute to the Annual Hollow Games.'_

_ I'm gonna puke if I have to listen to any more of this crap._

Looking around, Dark is able to spot Rukia and Byakuya in the crowd. Byakuya's expression stays as neutral as ever and Rukia gives her twin a hesitant smile. Next to them, Renji gives her a thumbs up.

_Only one name amongst hundreds... it won't be me..._

'And now for the Reaping itself!' Rangiku giggles, skipping over to the huge sphere with the names inside on the left. She pulls the lever down on the side of it and the pieces of paper within begin to flutter around, before one finally pops out at the side. Rangiku's hand reaches down eagerly to get it and open it up. This is the horrible moment: the part where all the female Hollows and their families all gulp in fear inside, and if the Hollows had hearts they would be pumping violently against their chests. Rangiku holds the piece of paper up, her eyes scanning the contents, and there is a second of dreadful silence as the whole of District Twelve takes a deep breath.

'Dark Kuchiki.'

No.

How...? _No..._

Feeling a terrible sinking feeling inside of her, Dark blinks before the reality sets in.

Oh, hell.

She's _been_ chosen.

Her feet react a long time before her brain does, guiding her to the stage without her even realising it. All eyes are on her. Complete silence. Then...

'NO!'

Rukia ducks under the roped barrier holding the public in her place, her large violet eyes locking with Dark's shocked lilac ones. Immediately, Peacekeepers are on the scene, pushing past people to reach Rukia, who is flashstepping towards her twin.

'NO, DARK, YOU CAN'T GO! _DARK!_'

She reaches the Hollow and wraps her shaking arms around her, shouting as loud as she can. Rukia does not cry; after all, she has always been a strong child and when Byakuya took the two girls in, he expected the pair of them to keep their emotions in check. Still, that does not stop Rukia from breaking the rules by trying to stop them from taking her twin sister away from her.

The Peacekeepers reach the two girls and try to wrench them apart. Rukia swings her arms out dangerously, then her right hand rests on the hilt of her sword, threatening to attack if they try again.

'Idiot!' Dark hisses. 'Don't make a scene, you'll just get in trouble! I'll be fine!'

Rukia gives her one last mournful look, then lets go of her sister's arm and allows the Peacekeepers to drag her back into the crowd. Turning around, aware that nothing can save her now because no one ever volunteers in District Twelve, Dark climbs up the steps towards the stage and towards her fate.

XxXxX

**[Hollow]**

I've never actually seen her properly before, but I know she's the sister of Ichigo's friend, Rukia. Dark Kuchiki... is so very, very unlucky.

Bit like me, then.

They'll know it was me. They'll wait for the Reaping to finish, then the Peacekeepers will capture me and will have me executed because I killed that living man. I am so unbelievably screwed. There is no way in hell I'll be able to get out of that. And what's worse is, they'll punish my family as well as me. I've seen it happen before, and now I know I've thrown the Kurosaki family into a load of trouble. Again.

'And now for the gentlemen!' Rangiku calls enthusiastically, reaching over for the lever on the other glass ball containing all the names of the male Hollows. She pulls the lever down just like she does every year, and even though I'm preoccupied with thoughts of the upcoming situation I shall find myself in, I still feel the whooping sensation in my stomach, all down to nerves. Ha! Me, afraid? … Yeah, I guess so.

A little piece of paper flutters out,and Rangiku catches it. She unwraps the little folded thing and stares down at the name, before looking up, her smile not leaving her face as she calls out, 'Len Kurmaki!'

I hear a small whimper from the male pen at the front of the square, which tells me that the male tribute is only twelve. Seriously unlucky I see a small figure detach themselves away from the other frightened twelve-year-olds, and I recognise the sandy hair.

Oh, crap. So Len Kurmaki is _that_ kid. The one who saved Karin from those boys.

I have about two seconds to make up my mind as the possibilities flutter into my head. Yes. I know exactly what to do.

I push past the kids in my pen and duck under the rope so I can run up to the stage. 'I VOLENTEER! I VOLENTEER AS TRIBUTE!'

Never mind the emotional display that the other tribute and her twin showed. This scene that I've started is going to go down in history.

'Our very first volunteer!' Rangiku gasps, then squeals delightedly, 'DISTRICT TWELVE'S VERY FIRST VOLENTEER! What's your name?'

'Hollow Kurosaki,' I mutter, feeling sick at the overjoyed look on her face.

Rangiku blinks. 'Hollow? That's your actual name?'

'Yes,' I snap defiantly.

'Very well then!' she pulls me onto the stage and place me next to Dark Kuchiki, who doesn't look at me and instead seems to be finding the patterns in the wooden floorboards beneath our feet very interesting. I catch a glimpse of Len Kurmaki making his way back to his pen, a relieved but rather guilty look on his face, as if he believes it was his fault I decided to volunteer Well, that certainly is part of the reason I decided to do it. A fifteen-year-old would probably fare a lot better than a twelve-year-old in the arena. But this way, I can get away from District Twelve. They won't be able to do anything to me because I'll be safe in the Sereitei, awaiting my time in the arena. Also, as they won't be able to prove it was me, my family will be safe.

Great. So now it's time to die anyway.

I'm going into the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hollow Games.


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

**(Dark)**

They take me into a room in the Justice Building, and I know that the other tribute is in the room next to mine. I know what happens now: my family will come in to say goodbye, and then I will have to be put on the train and taken on a two-day journey to the Sereitei, where I will go through training until I am placed in the arena until the real Hunger Games begin.

The door swings open and Renji stands there, looking completely panicked.

'Dark-'

I leap up and wrap my arms around him, so glad that I will get to see him one last time. I feel a lump forming in my throat but I swallow it down, knowing that I must not cry. I have to be strong, if I am to survive the arena. If I am to return home.

'You- you have to win!' Renji chokes. 'I know family and friends say this to every tribute who goes into the games, but you have to do this!'

'I know! Just promise me, Renji- promise you'll look after Rukia. Byakuya won't be there for her, I know it, but you have to-'

'I will. Dark, listen to me-'

'Alright, time's up,' calls an official from outside the door. Renji gives me one last hug, a peck on the cheek and a pained look, and then he is out the door. I bite my lip to keep from screaming at him to come back, because I know that I probably will never see him again.

Rukia and Byakuya come in next, and for the first time in my life, I can see that Byakuya looks worried. Rukia is blinking tears away furiously as she runs up to hug her sister.

'Dark- listen to me- you're allowed two things in the arena- a weapon of your choosing and an object to remind you of home- you need to get your scythe when you enter that arena! You're strong with it- you can win- I know you can!'

'Rukia... Rukia, calm down...'

'You have to win!' Rukia shouts.

'But what else do I take in?' I ask. 'What do I take to remind me of home?'

Byakuya bows his head, reaching down for the sword at his side. He draws it, and before either me or Rukia can ask he cuts of a part of the scarf around his neck.

We've often been told how important the scarf is; it is always worn by the current head of the Kuchiki Clan, the title Byakuya holds at the present time. It is apparently extremely expensive, so why would he be wrecking it-?

'Here,' he says, holding out the bit of cut out fabric for me which I take in trembling hands.

'I... I will wear this with pride,' I manage to get out. 'I will try and make the Kuchiki Clan proud of me.'

'Never mind that,' he says. 'I am... already proud of you, and Rukia. And Hisana would be, too, if she was still alive.'

I gasp. Rukia whispers, 'Brother...'

Byakuya smiles. Actually smiles. 'Whatever happens in the arena, Dark... know that... Rukia and I believe in you.'

**[Hollow]**

'Why did you do it?!' Ichigo thunders the moment he walks through the door. Karin and Yuzu immediately rush towards me, their eyes swimming with tears. Even _Karin_ is crying. Holy crap.

'I had to,' I whisper. 'Otherwise, they'll capture me and have me executed.'

'What?' Dad says, walking in behind Ichigo.

'I'm... the one who killed the human this morning...' I say very quietly, hearing the rest of my family except Ichigo gasp. 'I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself... my hunger is getting worse, I swear. Besides, that kid wouldn't last five minutes in the arena.'

'Hollow...'

'Look, there's nothing we can do about it now: I'm going in. As long as they can't arrest me, you guys will be safe.'

'You think we'll be safe?' Ichigo says angrily. 'You've heard stories about how they torture the families of victors and tributes when they act too rebellious in the arena.'

Yuzu gives a small sob.

'Besides,' Ichigo continues, shaking with fury, 'it's you that we need to worry about. You're gonna get yourself killed out there!'

'Thanks for the support, bro,' I whisper.

Ichigo hugs me, catching me completely by surprise. 'You have to win, Hollow. Or I swear, I will find you when I die and I will make your ghost-life hell.'

I smile. 'Don't worry, Ichi, I'm gonna try as hard as I can.'

Karin looks up at me, a determined look in her eyes. 'Promise!'

'I promise. Look, I volunteered knowing that I might actually have a chance, no matter how slim it is.'

'Time's up,' the official outside the door calls.

In the end, a group of Peacekeepers have to come in to drag my family away from me. I hear Yuzu's wail of sadness as the door closes, and Karin and Ichigo shouting, 'You have to win!'

I look down at the small pouch they gave me, which is supposed to be a keyring that should fit of the ribbon around my waist. It's supposed to be a lucky charm that once belonged to my mother, and it is the one thing aside from my sword that I can take into the arena to remind me of home.

**XOXOXOX**

**{3rd Person}**

'Come on, then,' Rangiku calls enthusiastically, pushing Dark and Hollow onto the train. 'We don't want to be late for the capitol now, do we?'

Both teens say nothing. There's nothing they can say. Both their lives have officially been ruined. They still haven't spoken one word to each other, and neither plan on doing so either.

'Come now, you don't have to look so sad!' Rangiku pouts, staring into Hollow's angry eyes. 'After all, you volunteered, didn't you?'

'I did it 'cause I knew that kid wouldn't stand a chance,' Hollow growls. Dark begins to look at him strangely, wondering why he would sacrifice himself for a boy he probably doesn't even know. Surely that can't be the whole story...

Then again, why should she care? She needs to focus on staying alive, not musing over the other tribute. But, as she thinks about it, maybe it is a good idea to study him. He looks quite strong, and as he is albino, he has put up with a lot of crap in the past so he's probably used to getting into fights. Should she consider him a possible ally in the arena? At least until they will have to fight each other?

Hollow is having similar thoughts about Dark. She's quite small, but he imagines she is probably quick and she has got an impressive scythe for a weapon. And, it's not unusual for tributes from the same district to form an alliance. The chances are they probably will team up together.

'Who is our mentor?' Dark asks as Rangiku leads them into the middle carriage of the train, taken up by an extremely neat lounge. It's luxury for Hollow, who has never set foot in a place so expensive (with the exception of the Justice Building). Dark, however, has lived in the Kuchiki Manor for a while now, and so has experience with both poverty and luxury, given that she and Rukia lived on the streets before Byakuya took them in.

'A man named Shinji Hirako. You'll meet him soon.' Rangiku wrinkles her nose, which tells the other two that she is obviously not overly fond of Shinji Hirako.

'He won the Fiftieth Hunger Games, you know, the last Quarter Quell? I can't wait for next year, because that will be a Quarter Quell too and they're always interesting to watch...' Rangiku trails off happily, going on about how there's always something new that's introduced especially for the Quarter Quells only. In the very first one, the twelve districts all had to select the tributes going into the Games, and the second one (for the fiftieth year, the one Shinji Hirako won), double the usual amount of tributes went into the arena.

Both Dark and Hollow stop listening after that. Both of them stare out of the window, getting one last look of District Twelve before they are whisked away towards the Sereitei.


	4. Chapter 4

**I know Shinji is a Vizored, not a full Hollow, but I really wanted to use him as their mentor. It was either him or Urahara and he doesn't have any Hollow powers so Shinji kind of made more sense.**

* * *

**Four**

**(Dark)**

'That's a great scythe you've got there!' Rangiku points out, grinning as she gestures towards the weapon strapped to my back. I blush and say, 'Yeah, it's pretty cool...'

'And your sword looks pretty dangerous, too,' Rangiku says, turning to face Hollow who snaps out of whatever daydream he had as he was staring out of the window.

'What? Oh, yeah.'

'Isn't it a bit heavy?'

'Um... no. I've gotten used to using it.'

'Well, both your weapons are super impressive! I'm really jealous!'

_As if,_ I think angrily. _You're not the one being chucked in the arena. __We__ are. Well, __I__ am, anyway. __He's__ jumped into this._

'I bet you two have never been on a train before! Did you know, it's travelling at two hundred miles per hour...'

As far as I'm concerned, I'll probably be executed before I can get in the arena because the chances are by the end of this trip, I will have killed Rangiku Matsumoto. If. She. Doesn't. Shut. Up. Right. _Now_.

'… Oh dear, Shinji was supposed to be here by now! Where could he have gotten off to...?'

Great. So we'll have to put up with a crap mentor too... so much for hope.

'There you are!' Rangiku exclaims, standing up from the squishy red armchair she's been positioned in, staring behind us at someone who must have walked through the door from the carriage behind. Hollow and I are sitting on an intricately patterned blue sofa, and we both stand up and turn around to be greeted with the sight of our mentor.

Shinji has brown eyes and jaw-length blonde hair with a straight cut, and he wears an amber shirt with a dark tie and a cap. He looks slightly worn out and reluctant to be here, as if he was in the middle of something. Like sleep. He really does look like he's just been woken up.

'Why'd you call, Rangiku?' he says in a playful voice, pretending to sound irritable.

'The tributes need to talk to you,' Rangiku chides, finally looking annoyed, and not _being _annoying. About. Damn. Time.

Shinji squints at Hollow and I, obviously analysing us as if trying to work out what our chances will be in the arena. Personally, I think that if Hollow and I form an alliance, we might have a chance, at least against some of the other tributes. The Careers from Districts One, Two and Four will be a problem, as always, because they have trained for this their entire lives. But I'm well practised at using my scythe, and from what I've heard so far, Hollow is an expert with that overgrown kitchen knife he calls a sword.

'So you're District Twelve's very first volunteer, eh?' Shinji drawls, eyes now staring at Hollow alone.

'Yes.'

'Just being noble, huh?'

'Slightly more complicated than that, but among other things, why not?'

'Did you like your chances, kid?' Shinji asks.

'No. Nobody's won in Twelve since you. Hardly gonna get very far with those Careers, am I?' Hollow mutters.

'What about you?' Shinji asks, turning to me. 'How d'you think you'll do in the arena?'

'Same as him,' I reply, jerking my head towards the albino.

'I'll be the judge of that,' Shinji concludes. 'You'll both be assessed on your combat skills during training, and then you'll get a private session where you can show the Gamemakers what you're made of. Any other techniques you're capable of besides using your weapons.'

'I've got a fast sonido,' Hollow answers.

'Me too,' I add.

Shinji grins. 'Well, that's always useful. Do you two reckon you'll be working together in the arena?'

Hollow and I remain silent. It's not exactly awkward, but Hollow gives the honest answer that is flashing through my mind as well.

'Too early to say. We don't know each other. I'd rather we got used to seeing each others' skills before we make that decision.'

XOXOXOX

[Hollow]

Dark pulls me into an empty compartment the moment they say we can go. It's full of boxes, evidently storage, and it's in the last carriage.

'Why did you volunteer?' she demands as we stand facing each other

I sigh. There's not really much point in keeping any secrets from her, especially if we are considering working together.

'I... I'm the murderer.. from this morning...' I murmur, watching her lilac eyes widen. 'I'm the one who killed that human.'

'Why?'

'I'm... not very good at controlling my hunger... I kind of... go insane sometimes... anyway, I thought that if I volunteered they probably won't pick on my family, unless I do something reckless in the arena. Besides, the kid that was Reaped once saved my little sister. I guess I kind of owed him.'

She stares at me for a few moments, then says, 'So you're kind of soft.'

I'm taken aback. 'Am not!' I protest.

She smirks. 'But you wanted to stop a younger Hollow from going in the arena, just cause he saved your kid sister. You _are_ soft,' she decides.

'I killed someone this morning!' I reply furiously. I know she's only teasing me, but there's no way I'm going into the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hollow Games with someone calling me _soft._

'What about you?' I say, rounding on her. 'You're a Kuchiki! You've been raised in a posh household! I bet you've never got dirty in your life!'

'I was adopted. Before that, I lived on the streets,' she answers coolly. 'Your brother is friends with my sister, after all; Didn't he tell you?'

'Never mentioned it,' I say coldly.

She makes a 'tsk' sound. 'Well, never mind. Right now we have other things to worry about. Shinji said that we need to get people to like us, so we can get votes. Apparently it will give us an advantage in the arena. To get people to like us, we have to be friendly. I've only known you for a few hours and I can tell you're not the friendly type.' She says this almost accusingly.

'Yeah, well, I could say the same about you,' I growl, trying not to appear as if I'm sulking. 'I mean, you spent that entire time in the lounge glaring daggers at Rangiku! Don't deny it!'

'You didn't exactly look like you were enjoying her presence, either,' she shoots back.

Damn. There is just no arguing with this girl.

We both take deep breaths, and I wonder if I should bother with a retaliation. This argument is getting us nowhere.

'Are you strong?' I ask finally.

She looks at me strangely, and then she says, 'Yes. I reckon I could last a while in the arena, if I'm lucky. What about you?'

'Same goes for me,' I reply. 'I haven't exactly been training like the Careers, but I've practised with my brother. I'm guessing you have with your sister?'

She nods.

'Right,' I say, decisions through my head, until I hold out my hand. 'Temporary alliance?'

She hesitates, then takes my hand with her own. 'Done.'


	5. Chapter 5

**This update is later than usual. To Minecraft lovers out there, this will seem like a perfectly good excuse: I started building a pirate ship, and some of us know that it is really hard to stop playing sometimes.**

**Anyway, here ya go!~**

* * *

**Five**

**{3rd Person}**

'Right, so what's the first thing you do when you first come into the arena?' Shinji asks as he, Dark and Hollow sit down for breakfast the next morning. The two tributes have had a night of tossing and turning in their beds, which is to be expected. Most tributes suffer with stress and worry. After all, they _are_ going into the Hollow Games.

'Wait sixty seconds,' Hollow and Dark say in unison, pausing to shoot each other a grin when they realise they have the same train of thought.

'Why?' Shinji presses.

'Because the metal plates we'll be standing on are mines,' Hollow answers. 'And they'll be deactivated after the sixty seconds. Then we run like hell.'

'Where, exactly, do you run?'

'It depends,' Dark replies, twisting a strand of her lilac hair between her fingers. 'If there was something noteworthy on your side of the Cornucopia, and you think you have a chance of reaching it before anyone else, then why shouldn't you try and get it?'

'Well, for starters, you need to judge exactly how long it will take for you to get the job done, and then you need to consider the plans of the other tributes around you, so they won't interfere. And by interfere, I mean try and kill you.'

'You're making us seem like _we're_ the victims,' Hollow accuses. 'They have to worry about themselves too. It's only really the Careers that will act as if they own the arena.'

'That's because by the time that gong goes they _will_ own it,' Shinji points out. 'But, I gotta be honest with you two, you're the first I've seen in a while from District Twelve that have actually proved to me that they can probably last longer than the first day in the arena.'

To Dark and Hollow, this feels as though this was meant to be a compliment, but they're both too busy focusing intently on what Shinji has to say next.

'District Twelve usually gets hammered, and it's often in the first day, as I'm sure you two are aware,' Shinji continues, and the tributes nod. 'From what I've heard, you are both quite skilled and from the answers to the questions I've given you both so far, I can see you're not lacking in intelligence, either.'

Dark and Hollow begin to wonder where he's going with this. He's a mentor, so instead of complimenting them and making it out as if there is hardly any area for improvement, shouldn't he be giving them advice about the arena?

'The Careers might view your talents when you'll be training with the other tributes,' Shinji carries on. 'If you're able to form an alliance with them, it can often be a good idea; it offers you protection through most of your time in the arena. Of course, once all the other tributes have been eliminated, it won't get pretty, trust me. If you are in an alliance, there's a point where you're gonna have to run. The Careers are bad news.'

There's a long gap as they eat their breakfast, Hollow and Dark contemplating Shinji's advice. For now, a temporary alliance is existing between them, both of them considering working together in the arena.

'Okay, so what do you do after you've either grabbed something from the Cornucopia and made a run for it, or you've fled the moment you were able to?' Shinji asks.

'Keep running,' Hollow says shortly.

Shinji raises an eyebrow.

'Keep running and don't let your guard down,' Dark says, improving on Hollow's answer.

'That's what I meant,' Hollow mumbles, and Dark smirks.

'Try not to go in the same direction as another tribute,' Shinji advises. 'Try and find somewhere safe to rest for the night. Of course, no where in the arena is safe, but try and find a place where you'll be practically undetectable. So, when night time comes and if it gets freezing, what do you do next?'

'Don't light a fire, that's for sure,' Hollow says immediately.

'Why not?' Dark asks, feeling slightly stupid.

'You've seen it happen before, haven't you?' Hollow says, turning to her. 'I think some tribute from Nine did it a couple of years ago. Lighting a fire is like saying, 'Hey everyone, look at the smoke coming from my location! Come and kill me, please!''

'Hollow's right,' Shinji says. 'You don't want that at all. If you get cold, you're going to have to find some other way to warm yourselves up. Now, let's assume for one second that you have actually managed to survive until morning, what next?'

'Find a water source,' Dark says.

'Dehydration can be a real problem in the arena,' Shinji agrees.

'But not a large one,' Hollow adds. 'Otherwise, you might find other tributes there and that would be a problem.'

'Indeed. What about food?'

'Well, hopefully we'll have been able to grab some tools at the Cornucopia,' Dark answers. 'They allow us to take our weapons into the arena, but they don't actually give them to us. We have to get them at the Cornucopia, which means that I'm definitely going to try and get it. I don't want anyone else taking my scythe.'

'Or my sword,' Hollow interjects.

'Let's say for a moment that somebody else did actually steal your weapons, and you find that you have nothing to hunt or fight with, how are you going to kill prey and defend yourselves?'

Dark is about to answer with whatever comes into her head, but Hollow gets there first.

'We don't.'

'What?'

'We don't catch prey and we don't defend ourselves, because we will hardly be able to. It's kill or be killed, and failure is not an option. We either get our weapons, or we die. Simple.'

Shinji snaps his fingers. 'Correct. You _need_ your weapons. It is essential, just like eating and drinking is.'

'What if we don't find any souls to eat in the arena?' Dark asks.

'There will always be some, if you look carefully,' Shinji says. 'If the worst comes to the worst, you can use Ceros to kill your prey, but that's a messy business and could easily attract unwanted attention. So, again, you'll need your weapons.'

Shinji gets up from the table, having finished his breakfast. As he reaches the door, he turns his head and says, 'Oh, and one more thing. The Sereitei always wins. Don't go thinking that you can find some way to get out of a bad situation, or cheat in any way, shape or form. They're stronger than you are, and there are many ways they can destroy you other than chucking you into the arena. Play the Game the way they want, and you'll have one less enemy to deal with.'


	6. Chapter 6

**Six**

**{3rd Person}**

'Now, you two, I told you to smile at the public, not glare at them!' Rangiku says scoldingly as she joins the tributes in the lounge of their new living quarters where they'll be staying until the Games begin. Hollow and Dark shoot her furious looks.

'Come now, how do you expect to get people to like you if you look so angry all the time? You could at least try to-'

'We're going to be thrown in an arena where we're probably going to be slaughtered,' Dark says though gritted teeth.

'Don't look at it like that! Think of it as an incredible adventure, a once in a lifetime opportunity-'

'Sorry about this, guys,' Shinji says with a sigh as he walks into the room. 'Rangiku has a trouble understanding how tributes feel. Lack of empathy, really. She's really the last person who should be with the tributes right before they go in the arena.'

'Shinji!' Rangiku exclaims furiously, going bright red in anger. Dark and Hollow have to hide their smirks behind their hands and drown their laughter.

Shinji smirks. 'You should probably forget trying to convince them that they are gloriously lucky to be representing District Twelve, and should start telling them about what they'll be doing before they go in the arena.'

Rangiku bites her lip, still looking infuriated. 'Right, well you'll be training, obviously, which will start tomorrow, as well as having special interviews with Kisuke Urahara for the whole nation of Karakura to see. Oh, and you'll get your private training sessions with the Gamemakers so they can decide what they think your odds are and can give you a score out of twelve.'

'And then the actual arena,' Hollow says quietly.

'Yes,' Shinji says, looking serious.

**XOXOXOX**

**[Hollow]**

The training centre is a vast hall filled with different stations where you can practice different skills. Alongside just fighting with weapons, there are also tutorials on how to build traps, as well as instructors giving advice on how to increase the speed of your flashstep and various other lessons. There's one place in the corner where you can be taught on how to use camouflage in the arena. I make a mental note to visit there at some point, because I am far too noticeable, what with me being albino.

I've already seen footage of the tributes from the other districts being Reaped last night, after we had settled down into our new accommodation But this is the first time I have actually seen them in person. Some of them look as if they don't actually come from the districts, but from the Sereitei instead, because they have some bizarre appearances. Everyone knows that people in the Sereitei are the ones who have a strange sense of fashion and end up doing repulsive things to their skin and hair, but some of these tributes look like that, too. There's one kid, a Career, with large, sad looking emerald eyes with slit-like pupils, like the ones a cat would have. His skin is pale white like mine and he appears to have tear lines going down his face. The only thing particularly ordinary about him is his shoulder length black hair.

Another one, who I remember being Reaped from District Six, has shocking blue hair. Despite the fact he isn't a Career, he still looks as if he could put up a good fight and I'm already thinking about an alliance.

One kid, from Eight, I think, has pink hair. And he's a male. Why on earth would he want to do that to his hair?! I know it's slightly hypocritical for me to be criticizing these peoples' appearances, as I'm an albino, but at least I'm naturally pale. These people look as if they're deliberately trying to mimic the way people look in the Sereitei.

As I look around at all of the tributes, I notice that most of them are quite strong looking, and it appears as if Dark is the smallest here. As far as most other tributes are concerned, that would make her a target. She seems to realise this herself because she puts a cold expression on her face and she grips her scythe quite tightly. Then we notice an even smaller girl, only about twelve, with short, curtly green hair and a large scar running down her face. I don't remember seeing her being Reaped, which means she must be from District Eleven because I left the room where we were watching replays of the Reapings after watching the tributes from Ten getting selected. She's quite nervous looking and is standing by herself, which means that she'll probably be the number one target, not Dark.

'Everyone gather round,' Yoruichi Shihoin calls from the centre of the room. The twenty-three other students and I walk over to our guide, waiting for whatever lecture we're about to receive.

'Now, listen up, everybody,' Yoruichi continues, a confident smile breaking across her face. 'These next few days you'll be training in here. You are allowed to practice combat with whoever's training, but no fights are to be allowed between any of you- you'll get that chance in the arena. Now, feel free to go to any station. You're all dismissed.'

'Shall we stick together?' Dark whispers as the tributes begin to split apart.

'Not sure,' I murmur. 'Shinji said that if we're forming an alliance, it's a good idea to show that to the other tributes. On the other hand, we also need to prove to them that we're strong independently as well.'

'Yeah... so maybe we should split up now and try a few things out, maybe get to know some of the other tributes, then come together later.'

'Okay.'

**XOXOXOX**

**(Dark)**

The first place I go to is a tutorial on tying knots. Nobody else is there except the small girl from Eleven who I learn is called Nel. She gives me a hesitant smile as I approach, and I return it.

As we're given the task of tying a particularly tricky knot, I lean over and ask, 'Do you know if anyone is forming an alliance yet?'

Nel looks at me, wide-eyed. 'Uh... I wouldn't know... the Careers are, probably...'

I nod. It looks as if nobody wants to team up with this girl. I feel a stab of pity in my stomach, but I erase it quickly. She's obviously not useful enough for the other tributes, and only one person is going to come out of this alive, so I shouldn't worry about her. The weak are going to die. The strongest is going to live. That is what I must tell myself.

Hollow has gone over to a combat station, and he's practising using a Cero. The blue haired tribute is over there too, and I can see them starting a conversation. I feel a pang of unease course through me. What if Hollow decides to team up with him instead of me? Will I be having to fight alone in the arena? Together, Hollow and I have a chance, but I hate the idea of being alone.

I guess I might have to be teaming up with Nel after all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Seven**

**[Hollow]**

'So, did you guys make any friends?' Shinji asks as we sit down for dinner in the large dining room of our new home.

''Friends'?' Dark echoes, looking slightly irritated by that words. 'We're all going to try to kill each other soon. I hardly think you can count any of the other tributes as 'friends'.'

'Yeah, I guess you're right.' Shinji takes a large gulp of wine. 'Let me rephrase it then: did either of you meet anyone who could be a likely ally in the arena?'

'Well, Hollow was chatting away with the male tribute from Six for ages,' Dark says before I can even open my mouth.

'I can speak for myself,' I snap.

'Grimmjow is a pretty strong tribute,' Shinji muses. 'Good choice, Hollow.'

I notice Dark glaring at me, and then a thought crosses over my mind.

'You're jealous.'

'What?!' Dark splutters. 'I- I am not!'

'For the record, we didn't discuss becoming allies. He was just congratulating me on being the first volunteer from Twelve.'

'Oh,' Dark mutters.

I watch her stab the piece of chicken she's eating with her fork and another thought occurs to me. 'They'll be human food in the arena, right?'

Shinji nods. 'Oh yes, there'll always be human food there. The Gamemakers are very sadistic like that. They know that if Hollows eat human food they can prolong their survival, at least for a little bit, until they kind find a soul to eat. Therefore, they think it's quite amusing to watch some poor tribute starve to death despite the fact that they have human food at their disposal. Human food can never keep a Hollow alive for long.'

'Say we had no food, both human food and souls, how long d'you think we'd last?' I ask.

Shinji looks thoughtful. 'On average, I'd say two or three days. Outside of the arena, it might be longer but inside you will have grown weak by that point and something will probably get the chance to kill you.'

'And if we had human food but no souls?'

'Five days, maybe six.'

Okay. The meaning is simple: find souls.

**XOXOXOX**

**(Dark)**

'I was allowed to come and observe your training at one point,' Shinji says. 'I saw you fire that cero, Hollow. That is an extremely powerful one you've got there.'

'Uh... thanks...' Hollow mutters, going a little red in his pale cheeks.

'I didn't see you go over to the cero station at all, Dark,' Shinji points out. 'Or are you just planning on going there tomorrow?'

'Uh... yeah... I'll do that.'

There's no way in hell I'm admitting that I cannot fire a cero.

I've never known why. I've always been quite a strong Hollow (if I do say so myself) but I have a large weakness when it comes to ceros. Sonido, fine. Fighting with my scythe, fine. Ceros? No, I just can't do that one.

**XOXOXOX**

So far Hollow and I have pretty much stayed away from the other tributes. The only ones either of us have talked to are Grimmjow and Nel. We start watching each other train over the next few days and eventually decide that we shall have an alliance in the arena. That is, if we're not separated or killed.

The time finally comes for our individual sessions with the Gamemakers, so they can decide what score each tribute should be given. The sessions go in order from District One to District Twelve, the boy tribute first then the female, so I scheduled to go last. Hollow and I sit next to each other in line, knowing that it will be a very long wait. On the other side of Hollow, Nel squirms in her chair nervously, while the other tribute from her district just ignores her. Hollow and I talk quietly to each other, mainly about home and the strange and funny things that have happened to our families, just to lighten the mood, and after a while Nel joins in.

In District Eleven, her home, there is even more Hollow discrimination than there is in my District. Hollows aren't actually allowed jobs, no matter how minor they might be, as opposed to our District, where we are actually allowed certain jobs, and a lucky few are even privileged enough to go and work in the coal mines like the humans. When we tell her this, she says she wishes she could live in our district, as it apparently sounds nicer.

'Nah, you wouldn't like it there,' Hollow says with a chuckle. 'The poverty is even worse in District Twelve than any other districts.'

Nel smiles sadly. 'I've heard. Is it true the most common death is starvation?'

'Probably. I wouldn't know. My friends are all lucky enough to still be alive,' I answer.

'People get ill and die from not eating,' Hollow adds. 'There are loads of diseases going round in District Twelve, too.'

'Well, we don't have that much food, either,' Nel says. When Hollow and I raise our eyebrows she continues, 'I know we're the harvesting district, but all the food is rationed, and you can get the death penalty if you steal any.'

'That's harsh.'

'Yeah. Your district sounds much nicer.'

I think I'm starting to agree with her.

When she is called up for her individual session, I say to Hollow, 'I know she may seem quite weak, but when we were training together on the second day, I saw her scale the climbing wall in about five seconds flat. Plus, she told me her aim's really good for throwing stones.'

'You want her to join our alliance?'

'It can't hurt, right? We would probably stand a better chance if there were three of us.'

He nods thoughtfully. '... I guess so.'

'What about Grimmjow? Do you want him to join us?'

'The Careers have their eyes on him,' Hollow says gloomily. 'He'll probably join them.'

We continue to talk about which tributes we should consider forming an alliance with, but none others come to mind, so we leave it at that. The worry that has been eating away at me is finally unleashed.

'Do you have any idea what you're going to do in there?' I ask quietly.

He grins. 'Haven't a clue.'

I feel a little relieved. 'Oh. Guess I'm not the only one.'

We both laugh. Oh well.

**XOXOXOX**

When it is finally my turn, I walk in to find a large hall, the Gamemakers all seated on a balcony high up where they can look down on me. What I find slightly disturbing is the ominous red stains on the ground. Some tribute must have hurt themselves, or someone else.

The Gamemakers are bored now. They look as if something really astonishing has just happened, which means Hollow has succeeded in surprising them, but now they've had enough. Maybe I just don't look very promising.

Okay, what to do? I could show them a few moves with my scythe, but I'll feel pretty embarrassed just swinging my weapon in mid air at nothing in particular.

I do it anyway. And I find that they're not even watching.

I'm beginning to grow angry now. They're all chatting and some food has been brought in so they've gathered around a table to eat. It's as if I'm not here. And that makes me furious.

My hand begins to feel hot as I lift it. Even though I've never been able to do this before, even though it's as if I'm incapable, I have to try. A glowing lilac light appears at the tips of my pointed middle and index fingers. My very first cero. It's not that strong. But I don't want it to be. This will do just fine.

It hits the apple in the mouth of the dead pig on the table, sending the red fruit shooting at the wall, narrowly missing the head Gamemaker, Mayuri Kurotsuchi. They all stare at me in shock. No words are said. A deathly silence.

'Thank you for your consideration,' I say calmly, before I dismiss myself.

It's only as I'm walking down the corridor away from them that I realise what I've done.

Oh, _hell_...

* * *

**I've just realised, in every single story I've written, I've never once put a disclaimer in. I shouldn't really need to. I mean, isn't it obvious I don't own Bleach?**

**Because, like most authors, I absolutely love seeing reviews, so if anyone wants to take a guess as to what Hollow did in his private session with the Gamemakers, feel free. It would be fun to see what you guys think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Eight**

**(Dark)**

'Ooh... you'll be getting your scores tonight!' Rangiku squeals excitedly.

We're all sitting on this very comfy pale sofa in the lounge of our living quarters, staring at the TV, waiting for the next Hollow Games announcement. The message that will tell us what the Gamemakers thought of the tributes.

_I attacked them. I'm going to be given such a low score..._

'Have they ever given a zero before?' I ask Shinji.

'No, but there's a first for everything,' he murmurs darkly. 'Why? Do you think you did badly?'

The thing is, neither Hollow nor I have told our mentor about what we did in our individual sessions. Or each other, for that matter.

'I guess we'll just have to see,' Hollow whispers, and I turn to face him, confused. He looks terrible. There are dark bags under his eyes and I'm sure that if he could get any paler, he would be. Looking at him actually makes me believe that it's possible he might have done something even worse than what I did in the training session with the Gamemakers. My mind replays the scene where I witnessed an ominous crimson stain on the floor as I entered the room for my private session. Could he have perhaps hurt himself? No. There was quite a lot of blood, and he appears to have no injuries.

_'And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...'_

'This is it!' Rangiku cries.

The tributes from District One (Someone by the name of Stark and a girl I didn't catch the name of) each score a nine. Typical. Careers always do well. The tributes from Two are the same. District Three don't usually get as high as the tributes from One, but the female tribute, Harribel, scores reasonably well with an eight. Ulquiorra manages to get a ten, and from then on it's just the normal scores. Grimmjow does very well too, with a nine. This is beginning to worry me; after all, I'm going to have to fight these tributes, and by the looks of it they all have tricks up their sleeves. I'm also growing increasingly nervous and uneasy about my situation.

They've never given a zero...

_But there's a first for everything..._

The score that Nel is given snaps me back into concentration. A seven. Not bad. Poor little Nel is probably feeling relieved but slightly upset, because that's one of the lowest scores so far, except the male tribute from Nine who only got a five.

_'Hollow Kurosaki...'_

We all take in a deep breath.

_'… with a grand score of... twelve.'_

You could hear a pin drop.

Hollow blinks. '… Did... did he just say what I think he just said?'

'Oh, this is fantastic!' Rangiku shrieks, giving Hollow a huge pat on the back.

Shinji looks impressed (who wouldn't? Nobody's ever scored a twelve, in the whole history of the Hollow Games!) but he's rather quiet when he talks.

'What did you do in there?'

'We... we should wait for Dark's score first.'

_'Dark Kuchiki... with a score of... eleven.'_

'Brilliant!' Rangiku is over the moon. 'Well done, both of you!'

'You both must have done something really impressive,' Shinji says. 'On the other hand, you could have done something rebellious and the Gamemakers want to draw attention to you, as tributes that need to be eliminated.'

Hollow's expression matches how I feel.

We are in deep shit.

'What did you do in there?' Shinji asks both of us.

'I... I shot a cero at the Gamemakers.' Never mind mentioning that it's the first ever cero I've been able to perform.

Rangiku's mouth drops open in shock. Shinji sighs.

'Well, I can only assume that you did something even worse, Hollow,' he murmurs.

Hollow bites his lip and says nothing.

'You should tell us. Or, at least, me. I _am_ your mentor.'

Hollow gets up and leaves the room. After another sigh, Shinji follows.

'Well,' Rangiku says nervously. '… At least we know the scores now, eh? Don't worry, Hollow may have gotten a twelve, but eleven's still a really good score!'

Does she honestly think I'm jealous? The higher the score, the more concerned we need to be about our safety, as far as Shinji's concerned. Besides, I can also look at it this way:

_That's right, I have an alliance with a tribute who scored a twelve, and I myself scored an eleven!_

_ Take that, Careers!_

**XOXOXOX**

**[Hollow]**

_'Good luck,' Dark murmurs, as I am called up for my private training session with the Gamemakers. I nod in appreciation and murmur 'You too', knowing that I won't see her again before her own appointment._

_ I push the great wooden doors open to find a large hall, with the Gamemakers all sitting on a balcony, seemingly bored. Of course they are. They've viewed twenty-two other tributes before me. I dread to think about how tired they'll be once it gets to Dark's turn._

_ 'Uh... Hollow Kurosaki, District Twelve,' I announce. The Gamemakers look down at me and roll their eyes. They're sceptical because the tributes from Twelve never score well. I am so going to break that sad tradition, even if it kills me. If they give me a score that's anything under an eight, then I have failed._

_ I draw my sword and attack this dummy that's placed there for the tributes to train with. It's already got quite a few slash marks on it and it has been decapitated. As I look close, I can see that somebody has scribbled a message on the chest, an arrow pointing to where the head once was: _Grimmjow was here.

_ I smile. I wonder what the Gamemakers thought of that._

_ I stand back from the dummy, form a cero in my hand, and then blast it. I then turn to face the Gamemakers, wondering if I've managed to impress them._

_ 'You're going to have to do better than that,' comes a voice from behind me. 'That's hardly the first cero we've seen.'_

_ One of the Gamemakers has come down from the balcony, and I immediately scowl as I see the arrogant smirk on his face._

_ 'You Twelve scum always fail,' he says with a little laugh. 'You may as well give up. We've seen enough.'_

_ My mind is made up._

_ This guy has to pay. Big time._

_ It's all kind of a blur. I feel a familiar burn in my chest, and I know what it means, although I haven't felt it this strong since I killed that human back home on the day of the Reaping. Ichigo was always going on about how uncontrollable I can be when I'm hungry for souls._

_ I lift my head when I hear the screaming begin from high up on the balcony. I view them through slitted eyes, wondering briefly whether they've ever seen something so horrendous in the history of training. This sort of thing is saved for the arena, after all. One of the female Gamemakers promptly faints and all the others stare at me in shock._

_ 'Go. Go now,' Mayuri Kurotsuchi says finally._

_ 'With pleasure.'_

_ As I leave, I notice how much blood I've managed to get on the white fabric of my clothes._

_ Heh. Maybe I _am _a vampire as well as a Hollow._

**XOXOXOX**

'You killed one of the Gamemakers,' Shinji says, staring at me.

'And ate his soul,' I add, somehow feeling the need to bring that up.

'And they gave you a twelve...' Shinji looks devastated. 'You and Dark have got to be the boldest or stupidest tributes from District Twelve. Ever.'

'Depends: if we get away with it, we're bold, if we don't, we're stupid,' I say. I know I'm being cocky, but it seemed like the right answer to give.

'Yeah, I guess so,' Shinji mutters. 'Well, I think you and Dark need to promise me not to screw up the interview. It'll be in front of the entire nation of Karakura, so it's the least you can do.'


	9. Chapter 9

**Nine**

**{3rd Person}**

'Okay... you two need to listen to me.'

Outside, a car has just pulled up and is waiting to escort the two tributes from District Twelve safely to their interviews with Kisuke Urahara, where they will speak in front of the whole of Karakura. Both tributes are extremely nervous, because of course it means that they are really not that far away from being placed in the arena. This is the last big event before they have to leave.

'Remember to play nice,' Shinji says. 'You've both received ridiculously high scores, but do not get cocky. You've made the Gamemakers believe you have something in you, but you also need to convince the nation that you have potential. Get people to like you. I cannot explain how important this is.'

'We understand,' Dark murmurs. She has been dressed in a long lilac dress made of silk, and her hair is tied back with a hairpin. The front of her dress has two straps extending from where they join at the back of her neck, locked at the front by a shiny silver broach with the symbol of a mockinjay. When she first appeared out of her room where her stylists had been preparing her, Hollow couldn't help but stare. Never before had he seen someone dressed so beautifully, as both of them come from a poor district of poverty. When she caught him staring at her she rolled her eyes and smirked at him. He immediately looked down, his face hot. He began to wonder what it would be like to have a heart, and whether it would be beating particularly fast like the ones of his victims right before he kills them. He himself is dressed in a smart white suit as if his stylists want to emphasise the fact that he's albino. This outfit is definitely the fanciest thing he's ever worn.

'Try to appear confident, but not arrogant, all right? Leave that for the Careers.'

'Fine, fine,' Hollow mutters.

Shinji sighs. 'Look, it's probably a good idea if you listen to me, okay? This is advice coming from someone who actually had to go through all of this.'

'But from experience, improvisation works a lot better than strategy with the Hollow Games,' Dark points out. 'At least, that's the way it works until we actually get into the arena.'

Shinji sighs. 'You two seem to always be able to pull off whatever move you make, I suppose. Do you really want me to leave this to you?'

'Help's nice and all, but lets just see how it goes, shall we?' Hollow says with a grin.

**XOXOXOX**

**[Hollow]**

_'Please welcome our host for the interviews of the tributes for the Seventy-fourth Annual Hollow Games- Kisuke Urahara!'_

'Hello, Karakura!' Kisuke shouts, striding onto the stage, to be greeted with overjoyed roars from the audience. 'Are you ready for the interviews?!'

'YES!'

'I can't hear you- I said, _are you ready?!'_

'YES!' the crowd screams.

'Then lets get started!' Kisuke says, plopping himself onto the comfy red chair opposite a blue one, where each tribute will sit when it is their turn. The other tributes and I are sitting in a side room behind the stage, watching it happen on the screens in the corners of the room. For this particular event, it is ladies first, so I'll be going last. Once again, we're sitting in order according to our districts, except now the males are after the females, and once again Dark and I are chatting quietly with Nel. I can see why Dark likes her- I did see her doing quite well in the training, and she is very intelligent for someone so young.

'So, Nel... what do you think about an alliance with Dark and I?' I begin.

Nel looks extremely surprised. 'Really? You want me to be on your team?'

Dark shoots me a grateful look, then turns back to Nel. 'Yeah- you're clever, and strong, and I think the three of us would work well together.'

Nel bounces up and down on her chair in excitement. 'Thanks so much! So, should I mention it in my interview if Kisuke asks me?'

'Sure, tell the world,' I say with a grin.

**XOXOXOX**

'So you're officially in an alliance with Hollow Kurosaki and Dark Kuchiki then?' Kisuke asks, flashing Nel with a brilliant smile as she watches him nervously. She's pretty much at the end of her interview, which means the other tribute from her district will be next, then Dark, and then it will be my turn.

'Y-yes,' Nel stammers. 'I'm really glad. I honestly wasn't sure anyone would want to team up with me, but I'm really lucky, 'cause Hollow and Dark are really strong.'

'That's great!' Kisuke exclaims. 'But why would you think nobody would want an alliance with you? I've heard that you have quite a lot of skills- a good aim, and you're very fast at climbing...'

'Th-thanks!' Nel says with a tentative smile, obviously a little more confident now she's been paid a compliment.

'Lets give a huge round of applause for our female tribute from District Eleven, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck!'

The crowd all cheer and the clapping begins. Nel blushes a deep scarlet in embarrassment, and Kisuke shakes her hand and tells her she's ready to go. Nel runs off the stage in the opposite direction to the other tribute from her district who is coming up, ready for his interview.

**XOXOXOX**

'So, aside from Nel and Hollow, are you in an alliance with anyone else?' Kisuke asks.

'No, it's just the three of us, but if anyone else feels like joining, feel free,' Dark says with a confident smile, and the audience laughs. How does she do this?! Act like it's so completely natural?!

'I must say, you look absolutely fabulous in that dress!' Kisuke says. 'I think we should certainly give your stylists a round of applause, am I right everyone?!'

More cheering begins, and Dark flashes the audience another smile. Confident, but not arrogant- exactly how Shinji suggested. Perhaps I should have listened to him after all.

'So... I've seen your awesome scythe. Are you any good with it?' Kisuke says with an eager smile.

'Oh yeah! I've had it for such a long time- I mean, I need it to get souls, right? And then I hunt for my family too.'

'But... isn't hunting prey in District Twelve strictly illegal?'

But of course, Dark has a comeback.

'Everyone's gotta break rules sometime in their life- and it's not gonna be while I'm in the arena, is it?'

The audience laughs again, which means that she has given an acceptable answer. Wow... she's pulling this off really well!

'I must say, I'm really impressed with you and Hollow... you're definitely two of the most impressive tributes from District Twelve I've ever seen.'

'Thank you! But it's not as if I want to end up how the tributes from Twelve usually end up!'

'Yes, you're quite right,' Kisuke says with a smile. 'Ladies and gentlemen, lets have a round of applause for District Twelve's female tribute, Dark Kuchiki!'

Dark gets up from the chair, a big smile on her face, and waves to the audience. In the light, she really does look beautiful, glowing as if she's angelic. I find my face going hot again.

**XOXOXOX**

'So... can you tell me why you volunteered in that young Hollow's place?'

'Well...' I take a deep breath. The whole of Karakura is listening. What exactly should I say?

'I killed someone. I ate the soul of someone who was still alive. Twice actually, 'cause I did it to one of the Gamemakers too.'

Yeah, now I think about it, that was probably not what I should have said.

'Is that so?' Kisuke says, his face serious for once. Apart from that, the whole of Karakura is silent.

'Yep,' I confirm. 'At least I know I might stand a chance in the arena.'

'Yes, I certainly think so,' Kisuke says, but I know he's lying. He thinks that the Sereitei will hurt my family, and they will bring me to my knees like that.

And I know it's not going to happen.

They know I've murdered in District Twelve. Nothing is hidden from them, nothing. And they've even seen me murder a Gamemaker.

If they want to hurt my family, they will have already done it. And I know they haven't done it, because if they had, they would have let me know. To rub it into my face, to break me.

Which means that if the Sereitei is going to break me, they'll do it in the Games.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry it's short guys. I have a migraine, so I can't really concentrate and I don't want to embarrass myself by typing up senseless gibberish. Think of this chapter as the calm before the storm.**

**Ten**

**(Dark)**

'You really are insane,' I sigh.

Hollow grins. 'So I've been told.'

The two of us are sitting on the roof of the apartment where we're staying before the Games begin, and we're eating lunch up here. Just the two of us. After all, I don't want to see any of the people from the Sereitei right now. Load of assholes at the end of the day.

Anyway, we're going into the arena tomorrow.

'Why would you do something like that?' I whisper. 'You said you want your family to be safe, and you've probably doomed them.'

'If they've already hurt my family, then I'd know,' Hollow replies quietly. 'They would have rubbed it in my face.'

'And how do you know they're not just waiting until we get into the arena before they let you know?' I demand. 'They'll want to break you when you're actually in the Games.'

'Shinji and I talked about it afterwards,' Hollow murmurs. 'He knows the way the Sereitei works. He told me that there's a possibility the Sereitei may want to use me somehow. In either two ways: they can make me one of their warriors if I survive the arena or they can destroy me to show that- I quote from Shinji- even the strongest can can be broken. Either way, I'm not particularly worried about my family. I did this all on purpose, visibly rebelling, in the hope that they may believe my family don't matter to me.'

'So...' I take a deep breath. '… You're acting evil, and as if you really don't care what happens to your family-'

'- so they won't bother trying to use them against me.'

'What are the chances of this actually working?' I have to ask.

Hollow winces. 'Yeah, I'm actually trying not to think about that.'

'Well, from now on you need to play the Game the way they want,' I say.

Hollow grins. 'Will do.'

'It's so strange to think that... today could be the last day of our lives,' I say after a long pause. 'And it is a really nice day.'

It's true. The sun is high in the blue sky and there are absolutely clouds obscuring the light. In fact, it's so bright that Hollow doesn't actually seem to pale to be out of place. He almost blends in, and I wonder what he looks like in the winter surrounded by snow.

'We're going to have to break the alliance when there are barely any tributes left, so long as we're still alive,' I say. 'I don't want to fight you or Nel.'

Hollow nods thoughtfully. 'Yeah. You're right.'

**XOXOXOX**

**{3rd Person}**

'Any last minute advice?' Dark asks as she and Hollow get ready to step into the capsules that will bring them into the arena.

'Stay alive,' Shinji says simply.

'Thanks a lot,' Hollow says irritably. 'We'll bear that in mind.'

'Do you know what sort of arena it is?' Dark asks quickly as she notices the glass doors opening, waiting for the tributes to step inside.

'No idea,' Shinji says with a dry smile. 'You'll only find out when you get inside.'

Dark and Hollow glance at each other, then nod.

'Ready?'

'Ready.'

'Good luck,' Shinji calls after them as he watches the two of them make their way into the capsules. They're easily the most promising tributes from District Twelve he's ever mentored.

**XOXOXOX**

It's five minutes until the Seventy-fourth Annual Hollow Games begins, and there is a knock on the Kurosaki door. Ichigo opens the door to find Rukia standing there, her face set and grim.

'Can I come in?' she asks quietly.

'Sh... shouldn't you be watching the Games with your brother?'

'He said it's fine. You know exactly how I feel, because you're going through it as well. My twin and your twin might die today. And even if one of them lives through all of this, the other one certainly won't.'

Ichigo shuts the door and shows Rukia into the main room, where Karin, Yuzu and Isshin are sitting on the sofa. They give Rukia a very brief smile and then they all look back at the screen. The capsules are just rising out of the ground, straight into a dessert of white sand and a black sky. The land is bare and slightly hilly, aside from the odd dead tree in every direction. The tributes all blink in confusion and then it is clear to see that they are immediately focusing on the Cornucopia in the centre.

_'Ladies and Gentlemen... let the Seventy-fourth Annual Hollow Games begin!'_


End file.
